All About Cats, Dogs, Horses and other Lovely Pets.

Male Or Female: Which Dog Is Better?

October 11th, 2007

By: Jane Saeman

Which dog makes a better pet, a male dog or a female? The answer to this question depends on what you’re looking for. On one level, if you care about the personality and character of the dog more than anything else, the gender shouldn’t matter. Your decision will be based mainly on how the puppy behaves and acts towards you and other people when you are looking at the litter.

On another level, if you want to find out whether a male dog or a female dog would generally make an overall better pet, then you’ll have to take in other factors, such as the size, temperament, and level of care.

Choosing A Female Dog: Generally speaking, female dogs are relatively smaller in size and warmer in temperaments. There are, however, some male dogs that are just as affectionate as female dogs. Many dog trainers and breeders recommend a female dog to homes with small children. Some believe that there is some type of maternal instinct that exists in female dogs, a quality that makes them amiable and ideal for a household with children.

Do not let feminine problems such as heat cycles and bleeding steer you away from getting a female dog. If you are worried that she will bleed all over your house when that time comes, consider getting her spayed, which is the ideal thing to do anyway. Once spayed, rest assured that she will not bleed a single drop. And with regards to behavior, female dogs can be just as challenging as male dogs, sometimes even more so.

Choosing A Male Dog: Male dogs are a bit more difficult to care for at times than females. For instance, they are quite good at performing a disappearing act when a nearby female dog is in heat. This can be dangerous to the dog as well as create problems for you. Many male dogs have been injured or even killed when escaping their homes to search for a female in heat. Between moving vehicles and fights with other male dogs, it makes sense to also have male dogs fixed.

Male dogs are also very territorial over their property, including any of his “stuff” inside the house, his bathroom area, or even a female dog. He tends to get very aggressive when he thinks that his property is being taken over by another dog and is willing to fight to defend it.

Male dogs also display territorial urination by lifting its leg up as high as possible while urinating. This leg-lifting behavior is not a problem unless it occurs inside the house.

On the other hand, male dogs have tons of energy and a lot of fun to play with. They are more active and have better endurance than female dogs. This is probably why male dogs are usually chosen for jobs in law enforcement.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

Jane Saeman loves dogs and strives to keep other dog lovers informed. A whole world awaits other dog lovers. Find out how cute the dog in your life is at my website which is at www.PicturesOfMyDogs.com

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Controlling Dog Aggression

October 11th, 2007

Just like human beings, certain dogs can be aggressive by nature. This aggressive behavior could lead to severe conflicts between the dogs and their masters. Such behavior is instinctive among many animals, but can be controlled. It is in fact necessary to control it for the well being of your dog. Dog to dog aggression is quiet normal and a dog aggressive to other dogs is more frequent within breeds than between them.

But where is the line between playful antics and aggression? Let us take a look at a few things that determine that.

Growling is the most common sign of aggression which needs immediate attention. You can take steps by trying to get your pet together with other dogs in your neighborhood, including ones of its own breed. Some pets reveal territorial aggression, which often results in chasing cars or people passing by. This could create problems, not only for you, but also for your immediate neighbors. This type of territorial aggression may require certain additional measures like citronella or electronic collars. Even aggression training can prove helpful. Since these issues can make both you and your dog unhappy, you’ll need to find some effective ways to control it.

Another kind of problem is fear aggression. This can be caused due to the fear of a particular person, another animal or even from a particular situation. Your dog may simply not understand how to handle such a situation and instinctively become aggressive.

Even pain can be responsible for aggression in dogs. A dog under any physical pain is likely to be short tempered and will charge at anyone who annoys it or even gets close to it. Under such situations, the best thing you can do is to leave him alone and give him time to recover from his injuries.

Your dog may become irritable or even angry, which can also have negative impacts. Your already irritated dog will hardly show any patience and may turn aggressive when approached. At such times, you should give him some time to rest and should be left alone until he calms down. You should also avoid bringing another pet into your house, as it may not be able to control his anger and could attack. Specialty training collars may prove helpful in situations like these.

Some trainers intentionally teach dog aggression, which is a big mistake. Most of these trainers are inexperienced and are not sure of what is the correct way to train the aggressive dogs. Similarly, it would be foolish of the pet owners to expect the dogs to be tender and gentle after having given them vigorous training. It is very important to understand that it is difficult for dogs to unlearn what they have learned in the past. Like humans, habits die hard in dogs too! Ridding them of aggressive behavior may be very difficult. So it is best to avoid training them to behave aggressively.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

Dog leash training is one of the most important things a responsible owner can do for puppies. It will keep them safe outdoors, and a leash can also allow you to retain control during other training methods.

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